


Pining

by cupidty11



Series: Cosmic Exclamation Mark [3]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6904708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupidty11/pseuds/cupidty11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He noted how stray dark strands of hair fell across his face. Pale and curved , curved lips,cheeks...Zim allowed a familiar flutter in his chest to surface. He usually shoved it away, down down, down to only think of when he was alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pining

The human slept. Zim knew he was asleep because Dib’s body seemed obnoxiously ready to let everyone know it was asleep. Soft snoring, deep breathing, small mumbles etc.

Zim took his hands from the control panel, satisfied that they were far enough away from any kind of asteroid field or planet’s gravitational pull to be safe with auto pilot. 

Years or even months ago, had ZIM been faced with a long expanse of time he would work (on in progress experiments, updating the logs, performing maintenance) or put himself into sleep mode or scavenge around for something to eat. 

Now however, his eyes were drawn to the sleeping form of his companion. 

Noted how stray dark strands of hair fell across his face. Pale and curved , curved lips,cheeks...Zim allowed a familiar flutter in his chest to surface. He usually shoved it away, down down, down to only think of when he was alone.  
Then he would try to talk himself into some kind of excuse, some story. He was sick. The air was thin. This was that ‘friendship’ the humans talked about. So many excuses...

He had no idea what it was. But, it filled him with a stark panic and faint nausea. Dib shifted a bit, curling in a bit. Was that a shiver? Zim looked at the ship’s internal temperature and frowned. 

He turned the heat up, probably a bit too high consider they were trying to conserve energy but...but...

And his brain always stuck on the ‘but’. It was nothing he was used to. All his loyalty had gone to the Tallest, to the Empire, to himself. And then when he’d lost it all...when he’d been officially exiled, he’d lost himself as well. 

The truth had been unfathomable. It took him a long,long time to feel...normal again. Dib murmured in his sleep, something unintelligible. Zim didn’t even notice how his mouth curled up at the edges in response. 

Zim had had to rewire himself. It was either adapt or die. And he had no intention of dying (ignoring a few embarrassing days where death had been all that was on his mind). He’d been listless, absolutely broken and confused. Who was he? Who did he serve? What was the point?

But, Dib had been there, vibrant and unyielding.The way he had always been. The human gave him a new mission, a new purpose...

And Zim gave the human his loyalty. 

But, loyalty was something he understood; it was unwavering support and trust, fighting for him, living by him, doing anything to keep him safe. 

But, this...weak feelings in his spooch when Dib laughed or smiled...hard clenching in his chest when Zim thought about the human’s nightmares,his tears...and worry,so much worrying...what if he got sick? What if he broke something? What if he was killed by some bounty hunter or by an allergy or a insect bite? 

What if he was lonely or homesick? What if he felt even a fraction of what Zim felt? 

The thought filled him with such violent conflicting emotions that he had to stand up and walk away. Do something, anything other than sitting here torturing himself with feelings he didn’t understand.


End file.
